Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Rio Grande Valley Vipers | |
---|---|
Conference | Western |
League | NBA G League |
Founded | 2007 |
History | Rio Grande Valley Vipers 2007–present |
Arena | Bert Ogden Arena |
Location | Edinburg, Texas |
Team colors | Red, gray, black, white[1][2] |
General manager | Travis Stockbridge |
Head coach | Kevin Burleson |
Ownership | Alonzo Cantu |
Affiliation(s) | Houston Rockets |
Championships | 4 (2010, 2013, 2019, 2022) |
Conference titles | 7 (2010, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023) |
Division titles | 3 (2010, 2013, 2019) |
Website | riograndevalley |
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won four league titles in 2010, 2013, 2019, and 2022, the most for any club in league history, and they also have made the most championship series in league history, having made it seven times to the finals. They are also the earliest champion to still play in their original city along with one of only three teams (the others being the Iowa Wolves and the Indiana Mad Ants) to have played in every league season since 2007. The Vipers entered a single-partnership affiliation agreement with the Houston Rockets during the 2009–10 season. Previously, they were affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2007–08 season and the New Orleans Hornets from 2007 to 2009.
History
In late January 2007, during the 2006–07 season, the D-League announced an expansion to Hidalgo, Texas.[3] Months later, the team was christened the "Rio Grande Valley Vipers", becoming the 14th team in league history, and they would play at Dodge Arena. The Vipers played their first game as a franchise on November 23, 2007, where they beat the Austin Toros 104–97 in front of over 5,000 fans at home.[4] In their debut season, they finished with a 21–29 record, failing to qualify for the playoffs. In March 2008, four games before the season ended, inaugural head coach Bob Hoffman announced his resignation, as he decided to pursue a coaching job in college basketball.[5]
The next season, they finished with the same record, failing to advance to the playoffs for the second year in a row. In 2009, the Vipers and the Houston Rockets entered into a single-affiliation partnership in which the Rockets controlled the team's basketball operations, while the business affairs would be handled by owner
In the 2012–13 season, the Vipers went 35–15 on the heels of a 10-game winning streak to close out the season, and it was second-best among all D-League teams. In the postseason, they beat the Maine Red Claws and the Tulsa 66ers in two-game sweeps to reach the finals for the third time in four seasons. The Vipers faced the
On February 26, 2015, the Vipers broke ground on a new arena in Edinburg called Bert Ogden Arena, which was originally scheduled for completion in October 2016. The arena was reportedly initially designed to house 8,500 seats, along with being a venue used for entertainment. The Vipers would serve as the main tenant and operator (with the City of Edinburg acting as owner of the arena), complete with a 40-by-20 foot jumbotron, the largest in the league. The arena was half-funded by sales taxes to go with private funding that resulted in an initial estimated cost of $68 million.[20] On August 18 of that year, the Vipers named Matt Brase their new head coach.[21]
After a few delays, the new arena was announced to have a grand opening in June 2018, with the Vipers beginning play in the arena for the 2018–19 season, with an end cost of $88 million. The 2017–18 season was the 11th and final season for the team at their original arena (originally known as Dodge Arena before rebranding to State Farm Arena), and they were the longest tenant to ever play in the venue.[22] On April 12, 2019, the Vipers won their third championship in a 129–112 game three win against the Long Island Nets, having rallied from a loss in the first game to win two straight, with Isaiah Hartenstein scoring 30 points in the clinching game to lead the Vipers to victory.[23][24]
The Vipers have seen two of their coaches become head coaches in the NBA, Nick Nurse and Chris Finch, with the former being the first coach to lead both an NBA and NBA G-League team to championships.[25] On October 1, 2019, assistant coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah was promoted to head coach after Joseph Blair left for an assistant job with the Philadelphia 76ers; Abdelfattah became the first Palestinian and Muslim head coach in NBA/NBA G League history. Travis Stockbridge was named general manager, becoming the youngest general manager in NBA G League history at the age of 25.[26][27]
In the 2021–22 season, the Vipers became the second team in league history to sweep the major three G League awards: the
On February 12, 2023, they reached the 3rd place of the
Season-by-season
Season | Division | Conference | Regular season | Playoffs | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | ||||
Rio Grande Valley Vipers | |||||||
2007–08 |
Southwestern | — | 5th | 21 | 29 | .420 | |
2008–09 |
Southwestern | — | 4th | 21 | 29 | .525 | |
2009–10 |
— | Western | 1st | 34 | 16 | .680 | Won First Round ( Tulsa ) 2–0
|
2010–11 | — | Western | 2nd | 33 | 17 | .660 | Won First Round ( Iowa ) 1–2
|
2011–12 | — | Western | 5th | 24 | 26 | .480 | |
2012–13 |
— | Central | 1st | 35 | 15 | .700 | Won First Round ( Tulsa) 2–0 ) 2–0
Won D-League Finals (Santa Cruz |
2013–14 |
Central | Western | 3rd | 30 | 20 | .600 | Won First Round ( Iowa) 2–1 ) 1–2
Lost Semifinals (Santa Cruz |
2014–15 | Southwest | Western | 3rd | 27 | 23 | .540 | |
2015–16 | Southwest | Western | 2nd | 29 | 21 | .580 | Lost First Round ( Austin ) 1–2
|
2016–17 | Southwest | Western | 2nd | 32 | 18 | .640 | Won First Round () 1–2 |
2017–18 | Southwest | Western | 2nd | 29 | 21 | .580 | Won First Round (Texas) 107–100 Lost Conference Semifinal (Austin) 91–117 |
2018–19 | Southwest | Western | 1st | 34 | 16 | .680 | Won Conference Semifinal (Memphis) 135–118 Won Conference Final (Santa Cruz) 144–125 Won G-League Finals (Long Island) 2–1 |
2019–20 | Southwest | Western | 4th | 15 | 27 | .357 | Season cancelled by COVID-19 pandemic |
2020–21 | — | — | 7th | 9 | 6 | .600 | Lost Quarterfinals (Santa Cruz) 81–110 |
2021–22 | — | Western | 1st | 24 | 10 | .706 | Won Conference Semifinal ( Agua Caliente) 125–114 ) 2–0
Won G-League Finals (Delaware |
2022–23 | — | Western | 6th | 18 | 14 | .563 | Won Conference Quarterfinal (South Bay) 124–122 Won Conference Semifinal (Memphis) 110–108 Won Conference Final (Sioux Falls) 110-105 Lost G-League Finals (Delaware) 2-0 |
2023–24 | — | Western | 6th | 20 | 14 | .588 | Lost Conference Quarterfinal (Oklahoma City) 126—125 (OT) |
Regular season | 435 | 322 | .575 | ||||
Playoffs | 37 | 19 | .661 |
Current roster
Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
Roster |
Head coaches
# | Head coach | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Achievements | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | Win% | G | W | L | Win% | ||||
1 | Bob Hoffman |
2007–2008 | 50 | 21 | 29 | .420 | — | — | — | — | |
2 | Clay Moser | 2008–2009 | 50 | 21 | 29 | .420 | — | — | — | — | |
3 | Chris Finch | 2009–2011 | 100 | 67 | 33 | .670 | 16 | 11 | 5 | .688 | 2010 D-League Championship |
4 | Nick Nurse | 2011–2013 | 100 | 59 | 41 | .590 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | 2013 D-League Championship |
5 | Nevada Smith | 2013–2015 | 100 | 57 | 43 | .570 | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | |
6 | Matt Brase | 2015–2018 | 150 | 90 | 60 | .600 | 14 | 7 | 7 | .500 | 2017 D-League Western Conference Champions |
7 | Joseph Blair | 2018–2019 | 50 | 34 | 16 | .680 | 5 | 4 | 1 | .800 | 2019 G League Championship |
8 | Mahmoud Abdelfattah | 2019–2022 | 91 | 48 | 43 | .527 | 5 | 4 | 1 | .750 | 2022 G League Championship |
9 | Kevin Burleson | 2022–present | 32 | 18 | 14 | .563 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2023 G League Western Conference Champions |
Past players
- See Category:Rio Grande Valley Vipers players for all players who are notable enough to have articles and have played for the team.
NBA affiliates
- Houston Rockets (2007–present)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (2007–2008)
- New Orleans Hornets (2007–2009)
References
- ^ "RGV Vipers 2015-16 Quick Facts" (PDF). 2015–16 RGV Vipers Media Guide. NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- ^ "Rio Grande Valley Vipers Reproduction Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- ^ "Minor League Sports News on OurSports Central".
- ^ "Vipers Slither Past Toros". November 24, 2007.
- ^ "Vipers Head Coach Bob Hoffman Resigns". March 26, 2008.
- ^ "Rockets taking over Vipers". ESPN. June 29, 2009.
- ^ "Houston Rockets Fire D-League Head Coach Clay Moser". August 19, 2009.
- ^ "Chris Finch Hired as New RGV Head Coach". September 29, 2009.
- ^ "NBA Development League: WINDER BEATS BUZZER: VIPERS WIN FIRST NBADL CHAMPIONSHIP IN FRONT OF RECORD CROWD". www.nba.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2010. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- Boston Globe. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
- ^ NBA D-League Championship won by RGV Vipers on Craig Winder's buzzer beater!!!. NBA G League. February 21, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Rockets add Sampson, Bickerstaff, Finch and Gunning to coaching staff". NBA.com. July 14, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
- ^ https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/from-vladivostok-to-the-vipers-rgv-ties-winding-journeys-at-core-of-sixers/552070/
- ^ "NBA Development League: Warriors at Vipers Game Info - April 27, 2013". www.nba.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- NBA.com.
- ^ https://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2013/10/keystone-coach-headed-to-d-league
- NBA.com.
- ^ "» the Amazing Pace".
- ^ "RGV Vipers Dispatch: It's quiet around here. Awesome".
- ^ "RGV VIPERS BREAK GROUND ON NEW ARENA". Rio Grande Valley Vipers. February 26, 2015.
- NBA Development League. August 18, 2015.
- Brownsville Herald. April 18, 2018.
- ^ "Rio Grande Valley vs. Long Island - Game Summary - April 12, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ "RIO GRANDE VALLEY VIPERS EARN THIRD NBA G LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP". gleague.nba.com. April 13, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ "NBA Finals 2019: Nick Nurse becomes first head coach ever to win NBA and G League Championship". January 13, 2022.
- ^ "Rio Grande Valley Vipers promote Mahmoud Abdelfattah as head coach". October 2019.
- ^ "Meet Mahmoud Abdelfattah, the Groundbreaking Head Coach of the Houston Rockets' G League Team". December 20, 2019.
- ^ "Rio Grande Valley Vipers Win Three 2021-22 Nba G League Awards".
- ^ "Vipers sweep the G-League major awards". April 7, 2022.
- ^ NBA G League [@nbagleague] (April 13, 2022). "👑QUEEN WAS KING OF GAME 1👑 Trevelin Queen is now the second highest scorer in NBA G League Finals history. He dropped a crazy 44PTS in tonight's game against the Delaware Blue Coats Check out his historic scoring spree!! https://t.co/tSbQvthdhA" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Vipers Cruise to West Semifinal Win over Texas Legends".
- ^ "NBA G League Playoffs: Conference Finals".
- ^ "Queen named NBA G-League Finals MVP as RGV Vipers win championship". April 15, 2022.
- ^ NBA G League [@nbagleague] (April 13, 2022). "🔥BREAKING RECORDS🔥 Daishen Nix: 31PTS🔥12REB🔥11AST Anthony Lamb: 10PTS🔥10REB🔥10AST The @RGVVipers are the first team in the history of NBA G League Finals to deliver 2⃣ triple-doubles in one finals game!! These are the first triple-doubles since 2013. https://t.co/spmq2y6yZe" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022 – via Twitter.